Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Game Boy Advance)
Developed by: NTS
Published by: Nintendo

Considering the questionable third-party support for the GBA nowadays, it’s a good thing Nintendo can continue to step up and produce quality games for their own handheld system. And really why would you want it any other way? But when they’re primarily releasing games like Mario vs Donkey Kongyou’ve gotta wonder how the GBA can be outselling every other game platform by miles.Which is not implying that Mario vs DK is a bad game, just that it’s the opposite of what most people seem to want in a game nowadays.

Mario vs DK is best described as, to use a term that has been dead for years, a “puzzler”.It’s about time someone brought this genre back to life, and with Nintendo beingthe retro gaming scavengers that they are, it seems appropriate that they would be the onesto usher in a new age of… puzzling. Not that this game is likely to start any trends.Puzzles themselves have become a big faux-pas in video games as of late, the theory being that if a player gets stumped for even the shortest period of time, they will quickly drop the game in favour of something that delivers more instant gratification.Oh sure, they get away with the odd little puzzle here and there in Zelda or Castlevania games, but usually nothing more than pushing a box out of the way or finding a key to open a door.Believe it or not, there used to be a time where limited graphics and processing power put theemphasis on creatively designed puzzles to actually make the games fun!

Personally I’m more than happy to sit down with a game like this on a rainy day…hell, even on a sunny day. It is simple, low-tech and relies on uninspired re-use of Nintendo’s trademark characters that have already been run into the ground a thousand times over, but at its heart it’s still fun. Plus I just happen to be old-fashioned enough to enjoy puzzles, and when you mix in a little bit of intuitive platformer action, it’s all good to me.

Mario vs DK takes elements from the original Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. games, but assembles them in a way that requires (as you can guess) more thinking than reflexes, although timing is certainly important as well.The idea is that Donkey Kong has stolen a bunch of mini-Mario toys from a toy factory. Mario must recover these toys by making his way through levels and hitting switches, bouncing off springs, knocking out enemies, and avoiding obstacles. Then he must guide the toys into a toy box (in a nod to the classic puzzler Lemmings) before facing off against Donkey Kong at the end of each world.

Mario has a number of new moves he call pull off and some old standbys to help him along the way,from walking on his hands and swinging around bars to hitting baddies with a hammer or garbage cans.Unfortunately he also has some new weaknesses, the most annoying of which is the fact that hecan die when he falls from a high enough distance. Difficulty is also added by a time limit on each level.

Mario vs Donkey Kong doesn’t start off very hard, but the puzzles get progressively more complex.Some of the game’s biggest challenge comes from the stiff controls however, which are a littlefrustrating at times. They just don’t respond quite as quickly as you would expect, once againreinforcing the fact that this is not a pure action/reflex game and that you have to be more slowand precise with your movements.

There are 6 worlds in the game, each of which consists of 6 levels. When you beat the gameyou unlock even more worlds.There is also a fair amount of replay value as there are a number of other unlockable modes andbonuses to compete for, including the “Gold Star” which can be achieved by collecting 3 extrapackages and beating a high score on a level.

The graphics are pre-rendered 3d characters turned into 2d sprites. Mario’s animations look fluidand smooth, and the colourful backdrops do much to combat the monotony of blocks and platformsthat could kill a game like this.Although these look cool, they don’t really enhance the game much. More than anything the pseudo-3d graphics seem like justification for such asimple game to be at home on the GBA’s hardware. Either way, I don’t think many people aregoing to buy this game based on its visual appeal.

Some may say that we’ve progressed beyond this type of game nowadays, and that puzzle elements are all but extinct for a good reason. I say there’s still room for all different kinds of game out there, and this is a nice alternative to the many complicated, time-consuming 40+ hour games that no one ever actually gets around to playing. For once its not just another half-assed Nintendo remake, either,it’s a fresh new take on their usual fare.So if you’re looking for something quick and fun and you miss the days when games used to require a little brainpower, Mario vs Donkey Kong just might be a welcome addition to your GBA library. — Sean